Mother Honors Late Son Alex Pretti on His 38th Birthday

On what would have been his 38th birthday, Alex Pretti’s mother penned an emotional tribute to her son, who was tragically killed during the intense protests against ICE in Minnesota.

At 37, Alex Pretti worked as an ICU nurse and met a tragic end in January at the hands of a Border Patrol agent. Viral videos captured the harrowing moments leading to his death, showing him being restrained by several agents before a fatal gunshot was fired.

His death, as a citizen of the United States, ignited widespread protests and public outrage nationwide. As his birthday arrived on Sunday, his mother shared a poignant message in memory of her son.

“Today should have marked your 38th birthday… Losing a son means losing more than just a child. It’s losing a piece of your heart and your joy,” Susan Pretti expressed on Instagram.

“Life is irreversibly changed, and nothing can ever fill that void. Yet, in my heart, he lingers, my beloved boy, eternally cherished. His laughter, his smile, and his love are forever a part of who I am,” she continued.

‘My love for him will never fade. You are my pride and my joy. You’ve made a chance that cannot be broken.’

Pretti’s death rocked America and marked another death of a citizen during rampant protests against ICE in Minnesota following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good. 

‘I worked with him daily for years at the VA hospital,’ Ruth Anway, a Minneapolis‑based nurse, told the Daily Mail.

Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed in Minneapolis in January, triggering shock and outrage across the United States 

As Pretti’s 38th birthday passed on Sunday, his mother Susan wrote a heartbreaking tribute to her late son

Susan and Michael Pretti found out their son had been killed through a journalist 

‘He was an ICU nurse. He worked with veterans. He was a really good guy. He definitely did not deserve to get killed.’

Anway said Pretti was politically engaged and deeply informed.

‘He was always keeping up with the news and always just really well informed about what was going on,’ she said.

Whitney Weisser, 37, a colleague of Pretti’s who attended nursing school with him at the Minnesota Technical & Community College, said he was an ‘amazing’ person.

‘I know it’s a cliche but he really was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,’ Weisser told the Daily Mail.

‘He was rebuilding his life when I met him. He went back to nursing school for a new career.’

Weisser and Pretti attended nursing school together from 2019 through 2021. She said he was previously a researcher, but wanted to be a nurse so he could help people.

‘He was the most protective guy. If any of us dealt with anything inappropriate from a patient or a coworker or anyone, he was there. He would always protect the person being bullied,’ Weisser emotionally recalled at the time. 

Signs and flowers are placed at a memorial for Pretti in Minneapolis

The two Border Patrol agents who shot and killed protester Pretti were placed on administrative leave 

People gather for a candlelight vigil for Pretti on January 31 in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs medical center

‘That’s what he was doing today, protecting a woman who was being bullied.’

Weisser said Pretti was ‘smart as hell’ and wouldn’t pick a fight with an officer. She said she believed he wanted to protect people. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the Daily Mail that agents were in the area attempting to apprehend, ‘an illegal alien wanted for violent assault’ when they were approached by Pretti.

According to DHS, Pretti was armed and carrying a gun with two magazines at the time he was detained. The agency later released a photograph of a nine‑millimeter semi‑automatic handgun it said was recovered during the clash.

Officials claimed officers attempted to disarm Pretti but that he ‘violently resisted’ before a Border Patrol agent fired the fatal shot.

Pretti was pronounced dead at the scene. DHS said he did not have identification on him at the time.

Video from the scene shows agents wrestling with Pretti and taking him to the ground moments before the shooting.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Pretti had no serious criminal history, with records showing only minor parking violations. O’Hara added that he was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit.

Signs memorializing Renee Good and Pretti are seen pasted to the wall of a building on February 12 in Minneapolis

Flowers and items are left at a memorial for Pretti on February 6 in Minneapolis

Demonstrators hold pictures of Good and Pretti, both killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, at a ‘March 4 Democracy’ protest in Washington DC

Footage of Pretti’s last moments appear to contradict statements by DHS, which said the shots were fired ‘defensively’ against Pretti as he ‘approached’ them with a gun.

In the videos, Pretti is seen with only a phone in his hand. None of the footage appears to show him with a weapon.

During the scuffle, agents discovered that he was carrying a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, which appeared to be removed and taken away by an agent, and they opened fire with several shots.

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order banning the Trump administration from ‘destroying or altering evidence’ related to the death of Pretti.

Department of Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem was quick to label Pretti a domestic terrorist. 

Large protests broke out following Pretti’s death in opposition of ICE and the Trump administration.